Shining Armor
by Siddiqm2000
Summary: What if after Lily abandoned him at the time when he needed her the most,Severus managed to steer himself away from the dark path he was falling into. AU,LE/SS
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Everything you recognize including places and characters belong to Ms. Rowling**

 **Chapter One**

 **June, 1976:**

 **Defense Against the Dark Arts OWL**

Severus Snape had a stringy,pallid look about him,like a plant kept in the dark. His oily hair was flopping on to the table on which his OWL exam papers lay,his broken nose barely half an inch from the surface of his parchment as he scribbled. He had written at least two feet more than his closest neighbours,and yet his handwriting was minuscule and cramped. He finished writing, straightened up and started double checking his papers, a proud smile on his face: he was sure he had done all right.

'Quills down, please!' squeaked tiny little Professor Flitwick, the Charms master. 'Please remain seated while I collect your parchment!Accio!'

Over a hundred rolls of parchment zoomed into the air and into Professor Flitwick's hands knocking him backwards off his feet. Several people laughed. A couple of students got off their chairs and lifted him back on to his feet.

'Thank you,' panted Professor Flitwick. 'You are free to go'.

Severus got up and moved towards the doors of the Entrance hall, still absorbed in his own exam paper. Round shouldered yet angular, he walked in a twitchy manner that recalled a spider, and his oily hair was jumping about his face.

Severus was separated from a group of four boys known as the 'Marauders' by a gang of chattering girls. The marauders made of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew strode off down towards the lake Severus, still poring over his paper with no fixed idea of where he was going followed them. The boys stopped in the shade of a tree while Severus settled himself on the grass in the dense shadow of a clump of bushes. The sunlight was dazzling on the smooth surface of the lake, where the laughing girls who had just left the Great Hall were sitting, with their shoes and socks off, cooling their feet in the water, throwing cookies at the Giant Squid who resided in the lake and laughing as they watched him swallow them.

By the tree, Remus the sandy-haired Marauder pulled out a book and was reading. Black, who was dark-haired and extremely handsome was just staring around at the students milling over the grass looking bored and haughty. Potter, the Gryffindor Quidditch team star player and Chaser was playing with a snitch he had nicked. He allowed it to fly away from him, almost escaping but always grabbed it at the last second. Pettigrew was watching him with his mouth open. Every time Potter made a particularly difficult catch, he gasped and applauded.

'I'm bored', said Black

'This will liven you up,Padfoot',said Potter. He put the snitch back in his robes. 'Look who it is…'

'Excellent', said Sirius.'Snivellus the Greasy. So, what's the plan?'

'I think we should try to disarm him at the same time. That way we may have an edge over him. I don't fancy facing him alone.'

'Great idea.'

Severus was on his feet again, and was stowing his OWL paper in his bag. As he left the shadows of the bushes and set off across the grass, his wand in his hand,Potter,Black and Pettigrew stood up. Lupin remained sitting still staring down at his book.

'All right,Snivellus?' said James loudly.

As Severus dropped his back and turned to face them,Pettigrew,Potter and Black all yelled 'Expelliarmus!'Severus was lifted off the ground and thrown several feet away from where be was originally standing .As he made to stand up,Sirius pointed his wand at him and said 'Impedimenta!' and Severus keeled over rigid as a board.

Students all around had turned to watch. Some of them looking apprehensive,others entertained.

Severus lay panting in the ground as Potter,Black and Pettigrew advanced on him,wand raised,Potter glancing over his shoulder at the girls at the water's edge as he went.

'How'd the exam go,Snivelly?' said Potter

'I was watching him, his nose was touching the parchment,' said Black.'They won't be able to read a thing because they'll be grease marks all over it. Several people laughed at this remark.

'Cowards,'Severus panted,staring up at them with an expression of pure loathing.'Filthy,disgusting cowards. Attacking three on one without even a proper warning.'

Potter pointed his wands at Severus' mouth and said 'Scourgify!'

Pink soap bubbles streamed from Severus' mouth at once; the froth was making him gag,choking him –

'Leave him ALONE!'

Potter,Black and Pettigrew looked round. Potter's free hand immediately went to his hair.

It was Severus' best friend,Lily Evans. She had thick dark red hair and green eyes.

'All right,Evans?' said Potter,his tone suddenly becoming mature and pleasant.

'Leave him alone,' she repeated,looking at the three boys with an expression of disgust and dislike.'What's he done to you?!

'Well,'said Potter,'It's more the fact that he exists.

Many of the surrounding students laughed,but Lupin, still intent and Lily didn't.

'But,'continued Potter,'we will leave him alone if you go out with me and never lay a wand on him again.'

'I wouldn't go out with you if you were the last person on earth, which you are not'

'Bad luck Prongs!' said Black briskly and turned back to Severus. 'OI!'

But too late;Severus had directed his wand at Potter;there was a flash of light and a gash appeared on the side of Potter's face splattering his robes with blood. He whirled around: a second flash of light later,Severus was hanging upside down in the air, his robes falling over his head to reveal skinny legs and a pair of worn underpants.

Many people in the small crowd cheered; Black, Potter and Pettigrew roared with laughter.

Lily, who smiled for a brief moment, said 'Let him down.'

'Certainly,' said Potter, jerking his wand upwards. Severus fell to the ground and before he could get up, Black pointed his wand at him and said 'Petrificus Totalus.'

'Take the curse off him, 'said Lily fiercely bringing out her wand. Potter eyed it warily.

'Don't make me hex you,' said Potter.

'Take the jinx off him then'

'Certainly'. Potter pointed his wand at Severus and muttered the counter-jinx.

'There you go,' he said as Severus struggled to his feet. 'You are lucky Evans was here,Sniv-'

'I don't need help from filthy little mudbloods like her!'

Lily blinked

'Fine,' she said cooly. 'I won't bother in the future. And I'd wash my pants if I were you,Snivellus.'

'Apologise to Evans!' Potter roared at Severus.

'I don't want you to make him apologise to me,' Lily shouted, rounding on Potter. 'You're an arrogant, lazy,conceited,self-centred,bulling,lazy toerag. You make me SICK.'

She turned on her heel and hurried away.

Potter turned back to face Severus; a look of triumph on his face, there was another flash of light and Severus was once again hanging upside-down in the air.

'Who wants to see me take off Snively's pants? 'The crowd roared,egging him on.

From where he was hanging,Severus saw red. He decided that this has gone on long enough. He thought _Accio Wand_ with all his might and clicked his fingers. His wand flew into his outstretched hand. With a satisfied grin, he thought _Liberacorpus_ and the jinx wore off him. He fell to the ground and quickly got up.

Potter, Black and Pettigrew simultaneously raised their wands and yelled 'Petrificus Totalus!'Severus' shield charm was so strong that they were all knocked off balance. Before they could regain it,Severus slashed the air with his wand. There was a loud BANG and they all crumpled to the ground unconscious. He sent another hex towards Lupin. He smirked as he saw it reach its target. Still smirking, he non-verbally summoned his bag, left the scene and walked towards the castle, leaving a very stunned crowd behind.

As he reached the castle, he went straight to his dorm and lay down on his bed contemplating on the day's events. He thought about Lily. He decided it was best if he apologized to her after everyone had retired to their common rooms. He brought out his transfiguration notes and started reading. Two boys loudly came into the ,tall and dark-haired was called Austin Avery. The other,blond and stocky was Michael Mulciber. Both of them were intending to join the Death eaters once they finished school.

'Hey Snape,' called Mulciber

'What?'

'Heard you put that filthy mudblood in her place. Good one. That's the sort of behavior the Dark Lord wants.'

'The Dark Lord can go to hell and don't use that word to refer to Lily again!'

Avery chimed in 'Oh,are you turning your back on us now?'

'I never said I was going to join Voldemort.'

'Fine then, but when He takes over, be sure that you're going to pay for your treachery,filthy half blood.'

Severus ignored him and kept on reading for a few hours. Once it was dark enough, he shut the book close and set off for the Gryffindor common room. On reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, he ran into Mary McDonald

'What do you want?' she said

'Tell Lily that I want to speak with her.'

'She doesn't want to speak to a scumbag such as yourself'

'I'm going to stay here till she comes out, even if it means sleeping out here.'

'Fine then, I'll tell her. You'll see. She doesn't want to speak with you.'

She climbed into the hole. A few minutes later, Lily appeared wearing a dressing gown. She stopped in front of the portrait, her arms folded.

'Lily!' said Severus breathlessly

'That's Evans to you'

'I'm sorry'

'I'm not interested'

'I'm sorry'

'Save your breath'

'I didn't mean to call you mudblood. It just-'

'Slipped out? It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. You and your friends are all aiming to join You-Know-Who. I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way and I've chosen mine.'

Severus struggled on the verge of speech and with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole. She went straight to her dorm room and collapsed on her bed.

'How did it go?' asked Mary

'I told him that we were done as friends.'

'Good on you.'

Alice Prewett,another of Lily's dorm mates didn't say anything but listened to the conversation.

Severus, meanwhile was still standing in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. After what felt like a million years, he turned and returned to his dorm collapsing on his bed without even bothering to undress.

Severus woke up to his alarm ringing. He quickly turned it off and went to the bathroom. He showered under hot under and washed his hair. He came out, straightened his robes and left for the Great Hall for breakfast. After breakfast, the fifth years stayed for their Transfiguration theory exam.

He had no problem answering any of the theory questions and in the evening at the practical exam, he had no problem vanishing the whole of his mouse and transfiguring his hedgehog to a pincushion. After the exam, he went straight to his dorm and lay down. The day had been very taxing.

As he lay down, he thought of Lily. He decided he would try to get her to forgive him once more before they left for the summer holidays.

 **Hope you like it. Please read and review**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: All places and people you recognize are property of J K Rowling**

 **Chapter Two**

As the Hogwarts Express pulled into King's Cross, Lily loaded her trunk onto a trolley, said goodbye to Mary and Alice and stepped into the Muggle World. She was trying to avoid Potter who'd been trying to woo her every waking moment since the OWLs ended. She was also trying to avoid Severus whom she'd seen with Eileen, his mother. He had cornered her earlier in the day and tried to once more apologize to her for calling her mudblood. She brushed him off once more telling him again that it was too late for him to apologize. She kept glancing around for her family until she finally saw them. She started walking towards them.

'Tuney', she sighed as she went into her sister's arms.

'How were your OWLs?' asked Richard, her father

'I did well in all subjects I think'.

'Where's Severus?' asked Rose, her mother

'I saw him with his mother earlier, so I guess he's not going home with us.'

'Hmm Severus has always gone home with us. Are you sure there isn't any problem?'

'I hope not.'

Severus meanwhile, had already arrived home: Eileen had side-apparated him. They apparated directly in front of the house. The house was looking as though it would break down any moment. Trash lay everywhere, the windows were gray because of dirt. Severus entered with dread, afraid that his father would come any moment. He stepped into the living room, it was full of the stench of alcohol. The room had the feeling of a dark padded cell. There was a threadbare sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table.

'Where's Tobias?' Severus asked his mother as she stepped into the room.

'He's not here'

'What do you mean he's not here?'

'I finally kicked him out,' she replied, a proud smile on her face.

'You mean you divorced him?'

'Yes'

'This is excellent,' said jovially as he rushed forward to hug his mother.

'When did it happen?'

'Oh, it was just last week. I managed to save some money to last us till the end of the summer. How were your OWLs?

'I think I did well. I asked Professor Flitwick when the results were arriving. He said they were due tomorrow together with our booklists.'

'Well then, that's settled. We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your school stuff. I'll also try to find a job while we're there. What do you want for dinner?'

'Just beef casserole and treacle tart will do.'

'Okay then, dinner will be ready in an hour and half's time.'

Severus nodded and then went upstairs to his room. He collapsed on his bed the moment he entered. His mind was filled with thoughts about Lily. He hadn't yet told his mum about the fight, but he knew she'll be disappointed. His thoughts went to when he tried to apologize to Lily the second time. She head told him that he could never change and that she'd never forgive him. He decided that if Lily was going to be this difficult, he'll just let her go and try to forget about her, but he knew that it was not going to be easy.

The next day, as Severus and his mother were having breakfast, a black owl flew through the kitchen window with what Severus knew was his OWL results and booklist for his sixth year. He detached the envelope tied to the owl's leg, slit in open carefully and unfolded the parchment inside.

 **ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS**

Pass Grades Fail Grades:

Outstanding (O). Poor (P)

Exceeds Expectations (O). Dreadful (D)

Acceptable (O). Troll (T)

 **SEVERUS SNAPE HAS ACHIEVED:**

Ancient Runes: **O**

Arithmancy: **O**

Astronomy: **O**

Care Of Magical Creatures: **O**

Charms: **O**

Defense Against the Dark Arts: **O**

Herbology: **O**

History of Magic: **E**

Potions: **O**

Transfiguration: __**O**

Severus read the parchment through several times, his breathing becoming easier with each reading. It was all right: he had passed everything. Well, he'd always known that he'd get Os in DADA, Potions and Charms.

'How did you do?', asked his mother.

Wordlessly, he handed the parchment to her. She exclaimed in delight as she saw his grades.

'Well done!' she said proudly as she ruffled his . 'Nine "Outstandings" and one "Exceeds Expectations" in History of Magic.'

'Which subjects do you plan to continue with in your sixth year?'

'DADA, Potions, Herbology, Charms, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.'

'What do you plan on doing after you've finished Hogwarts?'

'Well, I've thought of a few things: Healing, teaching or Potions Mastery.'

'I always thought that you'd want to join the Auror academy.'

'Being an auror is worthwhile, but I don't plan on working for the ministry.'

'Wise decision. I'll just wash the dishes and then we can leave.'

Meanwhile, at Lily's house, four blocks away from Severus', Lily was staring down at her OWL results. Her parents and sister were waiting anxiously to hear what grades she achieved. She finished reading, looked up with a smile on her face and passed the parchment to Rose. She stared down at the parchment which read:

 **LILY EVANS HAS ACHIEVED:**

Ancient Runes: **E**

Arithmancy: **E**

Astronomy: **A**

Care Of Magical Creatures: **E**

Charms: **O**

Defense Against the Dark Arts: **E**

Herbology: **O**

History Of Magic: **E**

Potions: **O**

Transfiguration: **E**

She passed the parchment to Richard who read it and passed it to Petunia. 'What's all this "O", "E" and "A"?' she asked Lily.

' "O" stands for Distinction "E" for Credit and "A" for pass, which means I got 3 distinctions, six credits and a pass.

'Congratulations Lily, we're really proud of you' said her father. 'What do you think Severus got?'

'Probably all straight Os.'

 **Potter Manor**

Four teenage boys lay on the floor of a sitting room on a carpet, each reading a parchment. One of the boys, with glasses, put down his parchment and said 'Okay, Padfoot, you go first. What are your grades?'

'Three Os in Transfiguration, Astronomy and DADA, four Es in Charms, Potions, Care of Magical and Herbology and two Ds in Divination and History of Magic. What about you Prongs?'

'Same here,' replied Potter with a grin, 'expect for Astronomy. I got an A there. Moony, what about you?'

'Os in DADA and Charms, Es in Potions, Herbology, Transfiguration, Ancient Runes Care of Magical Creatures, Astronomy and an A in History of Magic. What about you, Peter?'

Peter remained silent. Black snatched the parchment away from him impatiently and read out loud: 'Es in DADA, Charms and Herbology, As in Potions, Transfiguration, Care Of Magical Creatures and Astronomy and Ds in History Of Magic and Divination. Seriously, Wormtail, not even a single O?'

' I thought you had more brains Peter,' said Potter,' but clearly, I was wrong.'

Pettigrew hung his head.

'Oh, lay of him, you too,' said Lupin angrily.

 **THE LEAKY CAULDRON**

Severus and Eileen apparated directly in front of the Leaky Cauldron. It was very noisy as there was a lot of people inside. Eileen and Severus passed Tom the barman who was wiping some glasses and nodded at him. They walked through the bar and out into the chilly little courtyard at the back where the dustbins stood. Eileen raised her wand and tapped at a brick on the wall, which opened at once to form an archway on to a winding cobbled street. They stepped through the entrance into Diagon Alley. 'Gringotts first,' said Eileen.' We need to change our money to galleons.'

They walked towards a building which towered over the other little shops. Standing beside it was a goblin. He bowed as they walked inside. They walked towards the counters, approaching an idle goblin. He looked down at them. 'Yes?'

'We would like to change Muggle money, please."

'Names?' the goblin asked as he produced golden and silver coins.

'Eileen and Severus Snape.'

The goblin looked up and stared at her for a moment. 'Wait here for a moment,' he said and went off.

Five minutes later, he came back accompanied with another goblin.

'Mrs. Snape,' said the second goblin. Follow me please.

With that, he led them down a long corridor into an office. 'Take a seat please,' he said pointing to a sofa.

'My name is Gornuk,' the goblin said. 'I will require a drop of blood from both of you to confirm that you're descendants of Felix Prince.

'My father?' Eileen asked confused as both she and Severus offered their thumbs to the goblin who pricked them with the tip of a dagger. 'Why do you need a confirmation of our ancestry?' she asked as blood dripped from their thumbs onto a parchment which glowed as the blood touched it. Suddenly, the Prince family tree appeared on the parchment.'

'Your father left his will with me. He made it clear that in the event of your divorce or death of your husband, his estate go to you and his son.'

Eileen gasped 'are you saying that the Prince fortune is entirely ours now?'

'Yes,' Gornuk replied smiling. He produced another parchment with writing on it. 'You just need to sign this.'

'How large is the Prince fortune?' Severus asked.

'There are twenty-five vaults and a manor, Prince manor located in Scotland. It is warded, unplottable and non-visible to muggles. Actually, it is as larger than the Malfoys', Potters' and Blacks'. Do you have time to see the vaults?

'Yes, we do.'

The cart ride down to the vaults was nauseating, but at last they reached the vaults.

The first one was a file room. The second to the last contained mountains of galleons, sickles and knuts, diamonds, rubies, emerald, sapphires, moonstones, swords, vases and furniture.

'We would like to withdraw some money,' said Eileen.' Five hundred galleons each.' Gornuk produced two sacks and filled them with golden coins. He handed one to Severus and the other to Eileen.

The cart ride back up was very fast. As they stepped out of Gringotts, Eileen said 'I don't think I need to work anymore. Go buy your school stuff and I'll just go visit a friend's shop.' Severus nodded and they each went their separate ways.

Severus first went to Flourish and Blotts where he bought his new school books. He went to the apothecary and bought his potion ingredients, equipment and new scales. He went to the pet shop and bought a tawny owl which he decided to name Gin. He then visited a body and hair shop. One of the employees washed his hair, cut about a five inches from it, styled it and dried it. It was no longer greasy, but silky and soft. His teeth were straightened and whitened. His nose was fixed so that it was no longer broken. It was still large, but at least it was now straight. He was handed a mirror. He gasped at the figure that stared at him from behind the mirror. For the first time in his life, Severus Snape felt attractive. He paid the cashier and also bought some hair and body products. He then went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions and bought five new school robes, Dragon Hide boots and cloaks. He also bought some new muggle clothes. _This is going to be a very good summer,_ he thought, all thoughts of Lily out of his mind.

 **HOPE YOU LIKED IT. PLEASE REVIEW**

 **What did you think about their OWL results?**

 **I know James and Sirius probably took the same subjects and they don't appear to me as the kind of people to take Ancient runes or Arithmancy so I made them take the same subjects as Ron and Harry.**

 **Remus and Severus seem to be the studious type so I made them take the same subjects as Hermione.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: All People And Places You Recognize Are Property Of Rowling**

Thanks to Susan M. M, Macskamichi, Matyaska, PiffyEQ, Alethea27, Cukika, Cassandra30, Reviewer, ahuvati and marietta for reviewing

 **Chapter Three**

Severus and Eileen started working on the house a week after their trip to Diagon Alley. Years of neglect have made the house look like a hovel. The inside wasn't much better. The curtains were torn and faded, there were cracks on the floor tiles, the downstairs carpets were torn and worn and the furniture were threadbare. Severus started by painting the fence a bright yellow while his mother worked in the kitchen. She cleaned the countertops, the sink and the cupboards using _Scourgify._ She repaired the cracked tiles using _Reparo_. She repaired the curtains and changed their colour to match that of the tablecloth and walls. Next, they worked on the living room and the dining room. They painted them a pale blue, vanishing their carpets and replacing them with new ones. From there, they moved to the upstairs; the bathroom was cleaned, Severus' room was transformed: he got a new bed, a desk and a chair for schoolwork and it was painted a slightly lighter colour. In less than a week, they were done with the whole house.

As this was the summer after OWLs, no holiday homework was given. Severus spent most of his time learning what they were to be taught in their sixth year. In Transfiguration and Charms, he memorized the wand movements and incantations of the spells he hadn't taught himself already in his fifth year, but he couldn't actually do the spells as his mother wouldn't let him. In Herbology, he learned the names of various dangerous plants and how to take care of them. He didn't bother to even take a look at Potions and Defense, because he knew everything there. Sometimes, he went to the cinema to watch a movie or to the park to just sit down and relax. He caught glimpses of Lily several times, but didn't bother to try and speak to her. Sure, he still fancied her but he has long decided that he was done with her.

XXXX

One Sunday morning, as the Evans family were having breakfast, Rose Evans decided to ask her younger daughter about her best friend as she hadn't seen him all summer.

"You should invite Severus to dinner sometime, Lily," she said.

Lily didn't answer at first, but stared at her plate.

"Lily?" said her mother. "Are you alright?"

"The thing is, mum, Sev and I aren't friends anymore."

"Why would that be?" asked Richard.

"We had a big fight. Those two bullying creeps I told you about, Potter and Black were picking on him. They choked him on soap and hung him upside down in front of a small crowd. No one went to his help except me, but he said he didn't need help from a Mudblood like me. I then called him Snivellus and took a dig at his underwear."

"I expect he felt completely humiliated and mortified, lost his temper and took it out on you, because it must have been very embarrassing for him to have a girl come to his rescue," said Richard. "And you're sure you didn't do anything to make him even angrier than he already was?"

"Uhmm, I may have smiled for a moment as he was hanging upside down in the air."

"How could you, Lily?" asked Rose. "I'm sure he saw you and felt betrayed."

Lily felt very ashamed of herself on hearing those words come directly from her mother.

"Did he apologize?" Richard asked.

"Yes, he came up to Gryffindor Tower later in the evening. He offered a heartfelt apology, but I wouldn't listen and told him we were done as friends."

"Try and bury the hatchet, won't you?" said Rose.

"I will mum, but only if he stops associating with the members from his House."

"What about the bullies though?" asked Rose. "Were they properly punished?"

"I don't think they were, because they've never been punished before for cursing other students, especially Potter."

XXXX

The end of the summer holidays came too quickly for Severus' liking. He was looking toward to going back to Hogwarts, but this summer had been the best of his life. On his last evening, Eileen prepared a sumptuous dinner which included all of Severus' favorite things. He rounded off the evening by having a game of chess with his mother. Then it was time for a last mug of hot chocolate and bed.

The next morning, after a late breakfast, Eileen apparated Severus to King's Cross at a quarter to eleven. Severus was used to getting onto platform nine and three-quarters by now. It was a simple matter of walking straight through the apparently solid barrier dividing platforms nine and ten. The only tricky part was doing this in an unobtrusive way so as not to attract Muggle attention.

As platform nine and three-quarters materialized in front of Severus and Eileen, they saw that the Hogwarts Express, a gleaming scarlet steam engine, was already there, clouds of steam billowing from it, through which the many Hogwarts students and parents on the platform appeared like dark ghosts. Gin, who was usually quiet, became noisy in response to the hooting of the many owls through the mist. Severus said goodbye to his mother and set off to find a seat, and was soon stowing his luggage in an empty compartment at the end of the train. The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.

About three minutes after the train had begun moving, the door of the compartment slid open and a boy and a girl Severus had never seen before, came in. They both looked to be around Severus' age, sixteen. The boy was muscular, tall and was having shoulder-length brown hair. The girl was a head shorter than the boy, had a slim figure and waist-length honey blond hair. They both had their robes on, but had nothing on to indicate which house they belonged to. "I wondered if we could share your compartment," asked the girl. She had an American accent.

Severus nodded and the boy and the girl sat down across from Severus

"I'm Jenna," said the girl with a pretty smile. "Jenna Clark and this is my twin brother Alex."

"I'm Severus," replied Severus extending his hand to Alex. "Severus Snape."

Severus couldn't help but ask, "What year are you in?"

"Sixth," answered Alex. "We're transfer students from Ilvermony in America. What about you?"

"Sixth too, so have you two been sorted yet?"

"No," answered Jenna. "Professor McGonagall said we'll be sorted later today separately in the Headmaster's office. That's where we'll go to and have our dinner, while the Sorting ceremony goes on in the Great Hall."

"Do you know where to find the office?" asked Severus

"Yeah, we were given a tour of the castle during the summer. Can you tell us more about the Houses and their Heads?"

"First, there's Hufflepuff. Hufflepuffs are known to be hardworking, friendly, loyal, honest and impartial. It's Head, Professor Sprout teaches Herbology and is fair, cheerful and positive. Next, there's Gryffindor. Gryffindors are known to be arrogant, daring, brave and reckless. It's Head, Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration and is strict, fair and sharp-tomgued. Next, there's Ravenclaw. Ravenclaws are known to be intelligent, creative and witful. It's Head, who's part goblin and teaches Charms is cheerful and fair. Lastly, there's Slytherin, the house to which I belong. Slytherins are known to be resourceful, ambitious, shrewd and cunning. Our Head, Professor Slughorn who teaches Potions is vain, has a large appetite, good-natured and only has eyes for people from rich families, the talented or famous. He has a tendency to rudely ignore people he thinks aren't any of that. That's all I can say. Oh, and Slytherin has a dark reputation, because the greatest dark wizard in history was a Slytherin."

"Man, that has had me thinking," said Alex. "So what subjects are you taking?"

"Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. What about you?"

"Jenna's taking same, while I'm taking just Defense, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms and Herbology."

Just then, the compartment door opened and Potter, Black and Pettigrew crowded into the compartment.

"Damn," Severus swore under his breath.

"Look Padfoot, Snivellus gave himself a make-over," said Potter as Pettigrew just guffawed.

"Yeah, maybe You-know-who doesn't accept slimy greaseballs into the fold," replied Black.

"Shut up," said Severus, standing up, his wand in his hand.

"Or what, Snivelly?" said Potter also raising his wand.

"Or we're gonna kick your pathetic asses," said Jenna, as she and Alex also stood up, their wands also raised.

"You must be the new transfer students Professor Dumbledore mentioned to my dad," said Potter.

"So?" asked Alex

"So, it would not do you good to be found in the company of a slimy Slytherin such as Snivellus," replied Potter.

"Yeah, all Slytherins are evil." said Black.

"We don't give a damn about what you dickweeds think, now leave our compartment."

"And if we don't?" asked Pettigrew.

Severus, Jenna and Alex all raised their wands and sent curses towards Potter, Pettigrew and Black. The curses found their targets and they were thrown backwards, yelling in pain, out of the compartment.

Severus shut the compartment door and went back to his seat.

"Thanks for standing up for me guys."

"No worries", said Alex. "Who were those jerkbags anyway?"

"They're Gryffindor sixth years, also known as the Marauders, or as I like to say, the Marotters."

They spent the rest of the trip playing cards. The weather was chilly when they finally got off the train. They found an empty carriage and scrambled into it and soon, the carriage started moving towards Hogwarts.

 **Hope you liked it. Read and review.**

 **What do you think of Alex and Jenna. Which house do you think they would or should get sorted into?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: All People And Places You Recognize Belong To Rowling**

Thanks to all those who followed, favorited, reviewed, even to those I haven't replied yet

I've posted a new story some few days ago, inspired by Alethea27's 'If You Needed Somebody,' please check it out.

 **Chapter Four**

The carriages trundled through the gates and up the sweeping drive. Severus leaned across the window, and could see Hogwarts and its many lighted windows coming nearer. Those who had occupied the carriages in front were already climbing up the stone steps into the castle; Severus, Alex and Jenna jumped down from their carriage and walked up the steps too, and soon they were inside the torch-lit Entrance Hall.

They slid across the Entrance Hall and Jenna and Alex said goodbye to Severus, who went through the double doors on the right. The Great Hall looked its usual splendid self, decorated for the start-of-term feast. Golden plates and goblets gleamed by the light of hundreds and hundreds of candles, floating over the tables in mid-air. The four long house tables were packed with chattering students; at the top of the Hall, the staff sat along one side of a fifth table, facing the students. Severus sat down at a place at the end of the table, near his fifth-year friend, Regulus Black.

"Hey Sev, " said Regulus. "How was your summer?"

"Great. Yours?" replied Severus

"Not so great. Sirius was been an asshole as usual. Nice look by the way," he added with a grin.

"Thanks."

At that moment, the doors to the Great Hall swung open, and the first years, led by Professor McGonagall walked in. Hagrid came in behind them and took his place at the High Table.

By the time the sorting was done, each house had gained ten students. Dumbledore stood up and said, "Let the feast begin."

The dishes in front of them magically filled with food. Severus piled his plate with roast chicken, roast potatoes and lamb chops. When the desserts appeared, he took a slice of vanilla cake.

Once the desserts had disappeared, Professor Dumbledore got to his feet again. Almost at once, the buzz of charter filling the Hall ceased.

"So!" said Dumbledore, "now that we are all fed and watered, I have some announcements to make."

"First of all, I'd like to welcome our new students and also welcome back our old students." He paused, then continued. "I'd like to introduce our new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher, Professor Vincent Creevey."

Professor Creevey stood up, then seated himself again. Everybody clapped to welcome him

"I have some beginning of term notices. Mr Filch has asked me to tell you that there is now a list of banned objects in his office and anyone wishing to know what they are can go there to see the list. Also, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students, unless accompanied by a teacher or Hagrid." He paused, then continued, "Now it is time for everybody to get a good night's sleep so you can be ready for work tomorrow."

Everybody stood up, and Severus headed down the dungeons together with his housemates. After a few minutes of walking, the Slytherins paused by a stretch of bare, damp stone wall, and a seventh-year prefect said out loud the password, "serpent."

The Slytherin common room was a long, low underground room with rough stone walls and ceiling, from which round, greenish lamps were hanging on chains. A fire was cracking under an elaborately carved mantelpiece, and there were lots of carved chairs. Some headed straight to their dormitories, while others stayed in the common room.

Severus walked to a pair of empty chairs set back by the fire and sat down on one of them. At that moment, the door to the common room opened again, and in stepped Jenna. She stopped, looked around, saw Severus sitting down alone and went over to where he was.

"Hey," she said, sitting down on the empty chair.

"Hello, Jenna," replied Severus with a smile. "What about Alex?"

"Oh, he got sorted into Gryffindor, and I was hoping we'd get sorted into the same place."

"Well, at least you got into the best house."

"Yeah, and I'm glad I did. So what's our first class tomorrow."

"I don't know yet, but Professor Slughorn will give us our timetables tomorrow after breakfast."

"Ok." They sat down in silence after that, and a few minutes later, Severus got up, said goodnight and left for his dormitory.

On entering his room, he saw that Avery and Mulciber were already there.

"Hello Snapey," said Mulciber as Severus stepped into the room. "The Dark Lord sends his regards."

"As I've already told you, I don't care about your Lord," replied Severus calmly.

"Well, we're just reminding you, " said Avery. "Once He takes over, you are going to pay."

Severus said nothing after that, but changed into his nightclothes and jumped into bed. Seconds after closing his eyes, he was fast asleep.

XXXX

Waking the next morning, Severus fumbled around for his watch, and saw the time to be just half past six in the morning. He got up, opened his trunk and gathered all the books and parchment he'd need for the day, and went to shower and dress.

Severus decided he'd wait for Jenna before going to breakfast, so he settled into an armchair next to the roaring fire. He reached into his bag, pulled a random book and started reading.

"Hey," said a soft voice.

Severus looked up and saw Jenna smiling down at him.

"Morning," he said, standing up and putting his book back in his bag.

"Morning." She greeted back. "Had a good night sleep?"

"Great. Ready to go down for breakfast?"

"Yeah."

Some few minutes later, they found themselves at the Slytherin table. After they'd eaten, they remained in their places, awaiting Professor Slughorn's descent from the staff table. The distribution of timetable this year was more complicated than usual, because Slughorn needed first to confirm that they'd gotten the necessary OWL grades to continue with their chosen NEWTs.

Jenna was immediately cleared to continue with her desired subjects. After her, a few students were sorted out and then it was Severus' turn.

"So, Severus …" said Professor Slughorn consulting his notes as he turned to Severus. "All fine. I was pleased with your Potions mark. It was the highest mark achieved in a Potions OWL since 1942, and then it was a student known as Tom Riddle, who not unlike you, was a Slytherin too." After Professor Slughorn had finished with him, he and Jenna shot off to a first-period Ancient Runes class.

An hour later, the Ancient Runes class was over and they were heading to the DADA class. A number of students were already waiting outside, Alex among them.

"Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey," said Severus. "How was your night in Gryffindor."

"Awful. Those two idiots, Potter and Black, kept talking about ways they'd get you expelled."

"Gits."

"The other guy, Remus, seemed a decent bloke."

"Yeah, he's OK. His only problem is his apparent lack of backbone."

At that moment, the classroom door opened and Professor Creevey appeared. Silence fell over the queue immediately.

"Inside," he said. At that, they all went in an settled down.

"Ok class," began the professor. "Without any introductions, we'll start with our first lesson. Wordless defensive spells, starting with the shield charm, whose incantation is _Protego._

Before he could continue, the door opened and four students, Potter, Black, Lupin and Pettigrew poured through.

"Why are you late?" Professor Creevey asked.

They all kept quiet. "Why are you late?" asked the professor again.

"It's Snivellus' fault," said Potter.

"Yeah," said Black. "He cast a dark curse on us during breakfast that made us to forget we had class."

"And who, pray, is Snivellus?" asked Professor Creevey.

"There he is," said Pettigrew pointing at Severus.

"Is that true, Mr. Snape?" asked Creevey. "Did you cast any spell on them and why are they referring to you as 'Snivellus'?"

"No, sir. What they're saying is not true and Snivellus is a derogatory nickname they've given me."

"Ok, Mr. Snape, I believe you, but I'll still need to check your wand for any curses."

"There'll be no need for that," said Lupin unexpectedly. "We are late because we lost track of time, and were ready for any punishment."

"Thank you for telling me the truth," said Professor Creevey. "Please tell me to which house you belong."

"Gryffindor, sir."

"Alright, that's five points you've lost each for Gryffindor." The Gryfffindors in the class all groaned.

"And you two," he continued pointing at Potter and Black "you've lost a further twenty points each, for lying against a fellow student and use of derogatory nicknames. You'll also serve a detention with Mr. Filch tomorrow. All of you now to your seats.

The Gryffindors all glared at Potter and Black. Those two were always misbehaving and losing them points.

The rest of the class was uneventful, and an hour later, it was time for break, then Potions.

 **Hope you liked it. Please leave a review**

 **A/N: In response to some reviews, I made Severus rich because I feel he deserves some happiness. In canon, he got all sorts of punishments he never deserved, while the Dursleys who deserved punishment, got no punishment**

 **A/N: As this story is NOT canon, Remus is not a werewolf, so the Marauders are not animagi and the Marauders map does not exist**


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